1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling an application using a motion of an image pickup unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand-held devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, digital recorders, PDAs (personal digital associates), and remote controllers, are widely used to control digital TVs, DVDs, and video consoles. Since the size of a hand-held device is small, controlling an application of the hand-held device is inconvenient. For example, since input keys of the hand-held device are so small, it is inconvenient to press a desired input key of the hand-held device. As a replacement tool, a stylus, which is a thin stick like a PDA pen that is used to manually write and input data, is used. However, to use the stylus, a user needs to hold a pocket computer with one hand and input data using the stylus with the other hand, thus requiring the use of both hands and also, an expensive touch screen is needed. Furthermore, in an application such as an interactive game, which requires more direct and smooth control by a game player, the above-described input methods of using the input keys and stylus are not able to properly control the motion of a game player in a 3D game.
To solve such problems, many studies have been conducted on camera motion control in order to control a hand-held device having a camera using the motion of the hand-held device. As a result of these studies, an invention has been made in which the motion of the hand-held device is used as an input of a user interface and the motion is traced by an image obtained by a camera. However, since the content of the invention is too conceptual and an application must be selected using an additional input key, a problem of still having to use an input key exists. Also, another invention has been introduced in which the motion of a camera is used as the positions of graphic components in a display and the motion of a camera is sensed by a gyroscope or the camera. However, the invention depicts a limited application such as a sub-image selection and thumb nail pointing which means the position of a cursor in a reduced image viewed prior to printing, and has a problem of pointing with a low accuracy.
Also, another invention has been suggested in which a viewed navigation and a display extension are performed by changing directions along only two axes. However, the invention has a problem in that incurred costs are high and is heavy due to the fact that a miniature sensor is necessary in the invention.
Also, another invention has been made in which the motion of a camera is used as an input of a user interface of a mobile phone and the motion of a camera is traced by obtained images. However, the invention has a problem in that the invention is based on simulated data and a target application is hardly discussed for the invention so that a practical use of the invention is uncertain.
Also, another invention has been made in which the motion of a camera is used as an input of a user interface of a mobile phone, the motion of a camera is traced by obtained images, and the motion of a camera is simply traced from a translation motion. However, the invention has a problem in that the invention cannot be applied to a complicated user interface because a model of a motion is too simple.